If you are traveling through Utah on I-15 and would like a glimpse of
Utah’s pioneer past, be sure to stop in at Historic Cove Fort,
located in central Utah between the towns of Beaver and Fillmore.
You’ll see firsthand the original Fort built in 1867 by Ira
Hinckley, who was called by President Brigham Young, then-president
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to take charge of
building a fort on Cove Creek. Due to the scarcity of water, a town
could not be established in this location so Cove Fort was to be a
way-station for members of the Church,
miners, Indian or Spanish traders, mail carriers and others
traveling along the “Mormon Corridor”—settlements
stretching from Idaho to California.

There are written accounts of the fort’s beginnings that claim it
was built primarily as a protection against Indian assault. While this
was probably a concern of the new settlers, the primary reason for
establishing the fort was to provide rest for weary travelers.